This study aims to investigate the impact of ChatGPT on enhancing the learning outcomes and academic performance of high school students in physics, specifically focusing on its role in aiding the understanding of challenging topics such as Newton’s second law of motion. This study employs a quasi-experimental quantitative methodology that involves two groups from different schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and comprises both genders of students. The research findings reveal that ChatGPT has significantly improved the academic performance of both male and female students, with a slightly greater improvement observed among the latter, as indicated by the pre-test and post-test scores. Moreover, the experiments demonstrate high student engagement and interaction, which have improved their learning and achievements. The contributions and implications for research and practical applications are highlighted and discussed.